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<\/p>\nAuthorities in Germany said on Wednesday they had seized more than eight metric tonnes of cocaine from a container that was supposed to be carrying cacao beans and two suspects were later arrested in Spain.<\/p>\n
German customs investigators put the street value of the cocaine seized in the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven at about \u20ac500 million.<\/p>\n
The drugs were seized on 9 February and the subsequent arrests were made in El Ejido, in the Spanish province of Almer\u00eda, on 14 May.<\/p>\n
The container had arrived from West Africa and was destined for Spain, investigators said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Instead of cacao beans, officials found more than 400 packets wrapped in black foil, each containing about 20 blocks of compressed cocaine.<\/p>\n
The shipment was destroyed in Germany before the container was sent on its way to Barcelona.<\/p>\n
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Several bags of cocaine that were seized by German customs are seen at a press conference at the Customs Criminal Investigation Office in Cologne, 3 June, 2026 – AP Photo <\/p>\n
Investigators identified two suspected organisers of the shipment and arrested them during a handover of the container.<\/p>\n
One of them, the manager of an import company, has been linked to a previous cocaine shipment by Spanish customs, the statement said.<\/p>\n
The pair could face prison sentences in Spain if tried and convicted.<\/p>\n
‘Today, drugs are everywhere’<\/p>\n
At the end of December last year, the outgoing head of the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) warned that “Today, drugs are everywhere.”<\/p>\n